call your reps, ask him/her to vote NO on House Bill 610

[Mayleng]

From Facebook:
Having good public education system and therefore an educated populace is the cornerstone of a functional democracy.
Having a school voucher system (proposed by Trump's Education secretary Betsy DeVos) doesn't just mean you can choose any school you want your kid to go to. It also means the public education program will be dismantled.
If your child has an IEP, frame it. Then kiss it good-bye. If you have a job in special-education, meaning if you're a: special education teacher, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, a para, or a teacher's aid, you're in the same boat.
If you are in ESL teacher, you'll go first.
House Bill 610 makes some large changes.
Inform yourselves.
This bill will effectively start the school voucher system to be used by children ages 5-17 and starts the defunding process of public schools.
The bill will eliminate the Elementary and Education Act of 1965, which is the nation's educational law that provides equal opportunity in education.
ESSA is a big comprehensive program that covers programs for struggling learners, advanced and gifted kids in AP classes, ESL classes, classes for minorities such as Native Americans, Rural Education, Education for the Homeless, School Safety (Gun-Free schools), Monitoring and Compliance, and Federal Accountability Programs. Yes, there are all of these programs happening in our education system, in addition to just academics.
The Bill also abolishes the Nutritional Act of 2012 (No Hungry Kids Act) which provides nutritional standards in school breakfast and lunch.
The bill has no wording whatsoever protecting Special Needs kids, no mention of IDEA, and FAPE.
Some things ESSA does for Children with Disabilities:
-Ensures access to the general education curriculum.
-Ensures access to accommodations on assessments.
-Ensures concepts of Universal Design for Learning.
-Includes provisions that require local education agencies to provide evidence-based interventions in schools with consistently underperforming subgroups.
-Requires states in Title I plans to address how they will improve conditions for learning including reducing incidents of bullying and harassment in schools, overuse of discipline practices and reduce the use of aversive behavioral interventions (such as restraints and seclusion).

Please call your representative and ask him/her to vote NO on House Bill 610 (HR 610) introduced by three Republican reps.

PLEASE copy and paste, don't just share. That limits it to friends we have in common.
Inform and resist.

[eoffg]

Hi Mayleng,
In that page, it has: 'The bill will eliminate the Elementary and Education Act of 1965,'
But in fact, it is: " The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.'

I just found the bill and read it, where it states:
"SEC. 102. REPEAL OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT AND LIMITATION ON SECRETARIAL AUTHORITY.

(a) Repeal.—The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) is repealed.

(b) Limitation On Secretarial Authority.—The authority of the Secretary under this title is limited to evaluating State applications under section 104 and making payments to States under section 103. The Secretary shall not impose any further requirements on States with respect to elementary and secondary education beyond the requirements of this title."

This takes education back to the situation it was in, back in 1965.

[healthy11]

If you don't know who your representative is, or how to reach them, here's an article that explains it:
www.refinery29.com/2017/01/138465/how-to-call-senator

[healthy11]

On a somewhat related note, according to www.apnews.com/4bee6ea9aab548f094bb2ec0837311ac/Trump-signs-legislation-rolling-back-Obama-era-regulations on 3/27/17, Trump already signed measures nullifying several prior regulations, including two that deal with how states assess school performance and teacher preparation programs. Trump says that local educators, parents and state leaders know what students need best. Two of the regulations nullified Monday had to do with school performance and teacher preparation programs.

One, issued by the Education Department in October, had required that federally funded teacher preparation programs be evaluated based on the academic outcomes of those teachers' students. The other aimed to help states identify failing schools and come up with plans to improve them.